#godzilla: trading battle

[godzilla-and-aang-monsters]

Barugaron

Altura: 288 metros (Tomando en cuenta los cuernos)

Longitud: 720 metros

Peso: 180,000 toneladas

Primer Avistamiento: Atmosfera Terrestre [Teratoverso]

Guarida: Isla Baas [Tierra:Teratoverso] Pueblo de las Llanuras[Avatarverso]

Controles: Tierra Control [Excavación] Fuego Control [Electricidad] Agua Control [Acido corrosivo] Aire Control [Vuelo, Gas congelante toxico]

Aspecto: Barugaron + Godzilla 2019

Aliados:

Humanos: Ozai y Azula

Kaijus y otras bestias: Gigan y Megalon

Enemigos:

Humanos: Aang, Katara, Soka, Iroh, Zuko

Kaijus y otras bestias: Anguirus, Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, Anguirus

Kaijus y otras bestias

[the-godzilla-x-mikasa-blog]

The Start of the Relationship

Godzilla: Today I see that life is sad for me; I don't even know where to start. Okay; I see Anguirus talking to Baragon and Rodan, while they are in the lake; I know that Anguirus is in love with her, but I am not in love with anyone.

Nah, who am I kidding?

I love Mikasa, he's easily noticed, and I know someone else has noticed, maybe Gamera, he's the smartest of all and notices other people's problems

Gamera: I see my friend looking at Anguirus, Rodan and Baragon.

I know he loves Mikasa and he is very lonely and depressed in these last days because he doesn't know how to declare himself before her, her only friends are Anguirus, Baragon, Kong, Rodan and me; Although he doesn't get along with others anyway, he even helped them several times, but hey. I think I'm going to convince him of her to talk to her.

Gamera goes to where Godzilla is and asks him:

Gamera: What's wrong with you Godzilla?

Godzilla: Nothing, nothing's wrong with me. Go see if he already put the sow.

He responds to hide and try to get Gamera away by faking his situation without success.

Gamera: Hey, what if you talk to Mikasa? maybe you can ask her out on a date.

Godzilla: Date? And why would you want that?

Gamera: I'm not a fool, I know you're in love

Godzilla is perplexed, because according to him there was no way for anyone to discover his secret, so to get out of the game he continues talking to Gamera.

Godzilla: Well, yes, but how will she react? Will she feel the same?

Gamera: I have no doubt about that, do I?

He asked the last one after seeing that Godzilla was still down, so he tried to cheer up his reptoid friend.

Gamera: Come on my friend, we are friends. You can tell me anything. Tell me what is stopping you from doing it?

Godzilla: You should think again. She's in a relationship with Eren Jaeger and I can't betray her trust. No, things aren't going my way.

Gamera: I see

Godzilla answered, who was discouraged and therefore thought he would not dare to flirt with Mikasa, because he knew that it was not a good idea to betray the trust of his human friend Eren Jaeger. Gamera seems to understand until at that very moment an idea occurs to him.

Gamera: Something occurred to me.

Godzilla: Do you have a plan?

Gramera: It's very simple. Just tell him what you feel, you have to be very frank when it comes to expressing your feelings to him.

Godzilla: Do you think it works?

Gamer: And why not? I did that technique with Petra Ral when I met her and it worked. Now we are together.

Godzilla: Mikasa and I together? Is that your plan? You're crazy; that will never work. You've been locked in your shell too long, your head is crazy.

Godzilla responded in an aggressive manner. Obviously, Gamera didn't like the comment and made hints about Godzilla; this done, Godzilla eventually had to relent.

Godzilla: Alright, alright. Okay, okay. I don't think what you say works, but I trust you. But if I fail, go flirt with a Gyaos. did you understand?

Gamera: As you say (In his mind: Shit)

Godzilla: I just hope you know what you're doing.

Godzilla says that before jumping into the water and swimming towards New York, but before arriving, he has several difficulties.

20 kilometers from New York, a fishing boat is operating, but at that moment, Godzilla accidentally hits it from below, causing the boat to nearly capsize. Fortunately, it does not happen to majors.

Once arriving at the Hudson River in New York, Godzilla gets on a pier and walks into the city; and on the sidewalk he waits for a taxi that will take him to the multi-apartment where Mikasa lives. After waiting 5 minutes he raises his hand to hail a taxi, which stops when he sees Godzilla raising his hand; then Big G opens the door and gets in.

Godzilla: Good afternoon.

He greets as he gets into the taxi, at the same time the taxi driver responds with the same greeting. Going up the window next to him, Godzilla sees a sheet attached to that same window and then sees all the driver's personal data:

Full name: Phillipe Roache

Age: 52 years

Date of Birth: April 14, 1968

Blood type: A

Telephone number: 99 8756 3216

Knowing that Godzilla saw the data on him, the taxi driver pretends he didn't see anything and doesn't speak to him until he reaches an alley. Godzilla tells Roache to slow down and gives him his pay; then, before Godzilla comes down, Phillip advises him saying:

Phillip Roaché: Be very careful when crossing

After saying this, Roaché starts the taxi again. Arriving at the building where Mikasa lives, Godzilla knocks on the door, and surprisingly, Mikasa opens the door for him.

Mikasa: Hello Godzilla.

Godzilla: hmm… Hi Mikasa. I'm fine. Is Eren in there?

He waved and then nervously asked to be exposed.

Mikasa: No, it's not. Why, what are you doing?

He responded by denying, then asked. Hearing this question, Godzilla replies

Godzilla: Good. I was walking down the street and as my friend Gamera gave me your location… Well, the point is that I was going to your apartment and I was thinking if I could ask you something

Mikasa: Yes? You can ask me anything.

Godzilla: Well, um… do you want to… go on a date… with me?

Mikasa: U.. a date? Did water get in my ears or did you really say that?

Godzilla: Yeah, a date… I know it sounds weird and all, but… I don't know if you're going to…

Mikasa: Yes I want.

Godzilla: Really?

Mikasa: yes

Godzilla: Okay, where are we?

Mikasa: I think it would be a good idea for us to meet at the volcano on Monster Island.

Godzilla: Ok, well see you there.

Mikasa: Well, see you there.

Godzilla leaves the building and goes down the stairs. When he sees Godzilla come out of the alley, he makes a comment under his breath.

Mikasa: It's ridiculous that that lizard asked me to go on a date; but i'm going anyway I just hope Eren doesn't find out about this.

Godzilla walks the same path that he did to get to Mikasa's apartment to leave New York. Once he arrives at the Pier he jumps into the water and after a few hours, as night has fallen, he returns to Monster Island.

Back on Monster Island, we see Anguirus, Baragon, Balkzardan, Behemoth, Gamera, and Rodan waiting for Godzilla on the shoreline. After a while, the latter reaches the coast, comes out of the sea and receives his friends:

Godzilla: I'm here. Good evening, how are you?

Everyone: We're fine.

Anguirus and the Behemoth: And how did it go, Big G?

Godzilla: Alright, thanks for the question.

Balkzardan: Where is the date going to be?

Godzilla: On the island's volcano, Burning Peak. We will use it as if it were a restaurant

Baragon: We have to make the preparations and we have to do them well

Godzilla: You said so yourself Baragon, so it's time everyone started now.

Baragon: You heard Big G. Quick, let's get going.

Godzilla: Yes, while they do that I fall asleep there in the caves

Rodan: As you say.

Saying this, Godzilla goes to the caves and arriving he lies down on the ground. Before sleeping he says to himself:

Godzilla: I just hope it works Gamera, I just hope it works.

[gojira-ekkusu]

Razin from Godzilla: Trading Battle (PSX) 1998

[averagemee-fr]

Behold Godzilla's secret ability.

[reborn-kaijuverse]

Jyarumu

Portrayed by Sean Kanan

Wandering the wastes at the bottom of the world is a ferocious predator that takes the biting cold in stride: Jyarumu. A 163.63 meters tall at the shoulder, this massive apex predator is, based on current knowledge, Siberia's largest native predator known until now.

Jyarumu is a Kaiju frozen for many years in the Siberian permafrost near the Arctic Ocean. The slumbering Jyarumu was finally awakened after its icy tomb began to melt as a result of global warming, allowing it to break through the sheets of freezing earth and once again wreak havoc upon the world. Savage and belligerent, Jyarumu is violent, ruthless, and cruel. It has a warlike disposition, refusing to give up a fight with an opponent until either its foe is vanquished or it dies on the battlefield. Its body is composed entirely of muscle, making it a super-monster of strength, and it has an incredible fighting spirit - when angered or excited, the thin vein- like markings on its body pulse red. Jyarumu's primary offensive weapon is the large horn on its head, which it uses to slash and pierce its foes. It can also use its deceptively powerful tail to pummel its opponents, and spit a deadly purple toxic gas from its maw. Jyarumu can jump extraordinarily high and glide at mach speeds utilizing the two wings on its forearms. These wings can also be used as blade-like secondary weapons. It is a master of melee combat both on the ground and in the air, able to rise into the sky and dive at fast speeds, crushing its foes with its bulk and skewering them with its deadly horn.

Considering Siberia at this time was in the middle of a glaciation event that would go on to smother the entire landmass under miles of ice, these waifs needed to quickly adapt to survive the impending ice age. Their bodies grew larger and more compact, their armor and body fat thickened, and they develop a countercurrent heat exchange system in their shrinking wings, all in the name of retaining enough body heat to keep them alive but in the process reducing their flight capabilities. By the time the ice had enveloped the entire continent, the once roughly man-sized hypothetical ancestor that soared through jungles was now a building-sized top-order carnivore patrolling the frozen landmass on foot. The wings they sport now serve only for intimidation and the most short-lived of gliding attempts, a relic of their days as powered fliers. This is not the only physical trait Jyarumu has retained in some form from its cousins and ancestors. Like Leafwings, she possesses a long, papillae-covered tongue and heat-sensing pits that detect the differences in thermal contrast. More vestigial than this is an anesthetic component and an anti-coagulant to the Jyarumu's saliva, which in the Leafwing is instead a very powerful venom that is used in defensive purposes. All of these traits combined come together to paint a picture of a blood-eating, or sanguivorous, organism. The heat-sensing pits would have been used much like a vampire bat as they find prey and pinpoint the blood vessel closest to the surface, and the anticoagulant and anesthetic would have kept the blood flowing as the creature laps it up with its papillae-covered tongue. However, neither Jyarumu and Leafwings feast on blood (unless for Jyarumu, you could the blood of its fallen prey), which suggests that these adaptations have been retooled from their common ancestor, who would have been a sanguivorous flier. This common ancestor likely patrolled the jungles for large megafauna to exploit and might have been quite common across the Isles. But after millions of years of environmental change, some of its descendants would diverge and take on different evolutionary paths. For the Leafwings, they have repurposed their traits to seek out endothermic flowering plants in bloom and sip up their succulent nectar, the anti-coagulant and anesthetic in their saliva becoming the powerful venom they possess today. For Jyarumu, they needed to resort to true carnivory when they found themselves in a radical and changing environment lacking many large animals.

The actual processing of this flesh takes place further back in the jaws, with the scissor rows of serrated teeth that slice through flesh like a guillotine. Despite their formidable nature, the teeth are ill-suited to process hard food such as bones and armor, as their blade-like shape is rather inefficient when it comes to punching through such hard objects. This limits the prey items Jyarumu normally hunt to small, unarmored kaiju that can be easily torn apart by the jaws or swallowed whole. The hands further support this idea, as they each possess a large sickle claw, not unlike those of various birds of prey and dromaeosaurs. In both those groups, sickle claws are often used to pin down and crush smaller prey in their grip in a technique known as Raptor Prey Restraint. While Jyarumu has quite a different body plan to these dinosaurs and birds, the same general technique is likely employed. Speaking of the feet, the digits of this titan are laden with stress fractures and sites of localized microbial infection, but don't these don't seem to cause much of a hindrance to the titan. The microbes themselves originate from rotting carcasses, suggesting that Jyarumu might have been regularly walking in the food that it eats. Based on all of these pre-established traits, it is inferred Jyarumu's species are proficient predatory kleptoparasites that processed large meaty carcasses, often meaning it was feet-deep in rotting flesh hence the lingering infections. This is not too outlandish, as their gigantotherm metabolism means they can scavenge quite regularly if they need to due to decreased energetic demands compared to other daikaiju and their large size would allow them to bully smaller predators such as how she did with Baragon. They might even wait for other scavengers better suited to breaking through the armored covering of deceased large predators to arrive, waiting until the fleshy body cavity is revealed. They can do this in a variety of ways, such as using their jaws and claws to swipe and nip at competitors until they finally leave. But Jyarumu employs a more efficient scavenger deterrent inside its body. Stored within the thoracic and throat regions, Jyarumu possesses various sacs filled with ice nucleation proteins that when released from the mouth and into the air, forming a large, subzero cloud that can cause severe frostbite to expose flesh and quickly robs the heat from other organism's bodies. While the beam can be used to ward off attackers or disable prey, its primary use is to drive off other scavengers with a sudden blast of frost. To the other gigantotherm daikaiju of the Antarctic depths, heat is everything, so this disabling frost attack is usually only ever used once on a rival scavenger before they retreat so that they can recuperate their heat energy.

While the frost breath is quite effective, it is often rarely used in combat as Jyarumu prefers battling her opponents with physical strength and skill. The jaws and claws are already rather formidable weaponry, but Jyrarumu takes physical weaponry and defense a step further than these basic criteria. There is a reason she's called the Bladed Beast of Frost. The first wing finger of Jyarumu has grown considerably thick and robust, an adaptation for the enlarged denticles that sprout out from their surface. Once meant to streamline Jyarumu's ancestors through the air as they flew, they now serve as deadly serrated blades that cleave through enemies and prey. Being exposed to the elements and constant battling with competitors, these derived placoid scales grow dull over a few months before finally being shed and subsequently replaced by a newly sharpened replacement blade that has been pushing out the duller tooth. But by far the most prominent physical weapon Jyarumu possesses is the bladed horn adorning the top of its head. This magnificent weapon is lined in a sharp edge nearly as sharp as obsidian but far more durable and thus is capable of slicing through the skin and flesh of rival titans with great ease. Jyarumu is incredibly tactical with this head-oriented weapon, using it almost like a lance to precisely stab and slice with great elegance and skill and can be used in deadly upward strikes due to the large muscle attachments in the neck and shoulders. Of course, such a weapon has its weaknesses, for it is unable to cut through the armored exterior of some daikaiju. Additionally, with enough use and exposure to the elements, the blade can begin to dull, making it less efficient. But Jyarumu has an almost elegant solution to this. Almost immediately upon being exposed to the air, the horn begins exuding out a waxy substance that hardens when exposed to the cold. Within less than half an hour, Jyarumu's exposed horn becomes sheathed in thick layers of hardened wax, protecting the cutting edge from the elements while also self-sharpening it. When Jyarumu ever needs to bust it out, she releases a burst of cryogenic vapor from her jaws that encompasses her head in a cloud of frost. The sudden drop in temperature causes the wax to further harden until it is brittle enough to be scrapped off and reveal the deadly weapon underneath, ready to carve through whatever it was able to pierce.

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

Kaiju Week in Review (September 3-9, 2023)

I was a bit nervous about GAMERA -Rebirth-; the animation looked dodgy and Netflix has a shaky track record with kaiju shows. I'm pleased to report this is the best entry in the genre that they've put their name on. Good characters, great action (brutal as always), and actual episodic storytelling that effortlessly weaves in elements from the Showa films beyond all the returning kaiju. Watch it immediately.

Tie-ins abound for GAMERA -Rebirth-: a two-part novelization, a manga adaptation, and a prequel manga that sheds some light on [UNBELIEVABLY MASSIVE SPOILERS]. That prequel manga (GAMERA -Rebirth- code thyrsos) is being published online for free in both Japanese and English. You can read the first chapter here.

In unofficial translation news, English subtitles for GAMERA.1999 (1999) and yokaipedia (2022) are now available. The former is Hideaki Anno's making-of documentary for Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris; the latter is a fun, child-friendly fantasy from Godzilla Minus One director Takashi Yamazaki with a big ol' centipede-dragon at the end. (It's also maybe the first Japanese kaiju film I've ever seen with a major Black character.) I haven't gotten to GAMERA.1999 yet, though from scrubbing through it, it seems like a lot of dialogue was just ignored by the translator. Shame, as that's one I've wanted for a long time.

We have a teaser for Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, as well as a premiere date for the first two (out of ten) episodes: November 17. (I am being showered with Media for my 30th birthday.) The big news from this trailer is that John Goodman is reprising his role as Bill Randa from Kong: Skull Island. I assume that's going to be through flashbacks and old recordings only, since he was eaten by a Skullcrawler in that one. We also catch glimpses of two new creatures, a dragon and a crab from what I can tell. The latter looks to be fighting a Mother Longlegs.

Fandango and AMC have added mostly-empty listings for Godzilla 2000 on November 1. Fathom Events screened Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla on November 3 last year; despite randomly showing Tokyo SOS back in March, I gather they're making a tradition out of Godzilla Day. Note that the listed runtime is longer than the film itself. Predictions for the program: another message from Keiji Ota, the 2022 Godzilla vs. Gigan short, and the Japanese version of G2K. Interesting that they're running the last Toho Godzilla film to receive a wide release in the U.S. exactly a month before Godzilla Minus One has a wide release of its own here.

Gamera isn't a meta-defining Godzilla Battle Line unit... but he's Gamera in a Godzilla game, so I've been using him in every match since I unlocked him. He's gearing towards demolishing flying units, with fireballs that deal more damage against them and knock them back. A pity that he's arriving well after those units were at their most dominant.

Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons #3 still isn't giving me much to write home about, but the kaiju cult creeping to the forefront intrigues. Also cool to see Ebirah in a starring role.

Marubeni, one of Japan's biggest general trading companies, put out a bizarre commercial featuring samurai, zombies, a meteor, and a refurbished GMK King Ghidorah. The ad now has English subtitles, and you can watch a Ghidorah-centric behind-the-scenes video here.

I cannot believe I have more Cleopatra Entertainment fuckery to report on with regards to their Shin Ultraman releases, but they're truly trying to take the "Worst Film Company of 2023" title from the members of the AMPTP. Their third attempt at a barebones disc is starting to reach customers... but the ones who already received the initial replacement disc are being told no more will be sent. @starestream is trying to figure out if they'll be selling the third edition on their site, since it seems buying it anywhere else is a gamble. (Physically, the third edition looks almost the same as the first two, set apart only by the "SUBTITLED" text on the disc.) Either way, it's another blow to a movie that truly doesn't deserve this.

[mediasaurs]

TRM Round 1: Pokémon (Tyranitar) vs. Pokémon (Tyrantrum)

Pokémon (Tyranitar) – Many Pokémon in the first two generations took inspiration, direct or indirect, from prehistoric life, but Tyranitar was the first attempt at a T. rex. Truthfully, Tyranitar is much more reminiscent of Godzilla than any actual T. rex, but the intent was there. As far as retrosaurs go, I’m personally really fond of this one. The design is a classic example of the Pokémon style and it’s usually pretty strong in battle too. Really, the main downside is that in its first appearance, Tyranitar couldn’t be obtained without trading until the very end of the game. Fortunately, later games corrected this and made Tyranitar accessible much earlier.

Pokémon (Tyrantrum) – If you’re looking for a more realistic Tyrannosaurus Pokémon, Tyrantrum is the way to go. Introduced in Generation VI as part of that game’s fossil pair (actually, the last time there WAS a fossil pair), Tyrantrum represents a more modern view of T. rex. It even features a feather mane, which was a pretty new idea for T. rex at the time. It took 6 generations for there to be a fossil Pokémon of the most famous dinosaur, but it was well worth the wait.

[theselostmachines]

It is wild and cool and notable that 2022 gave us not one, not two, but THREE new kaiju games, each of them different and each of them great.

GigaBash is a party brawler that's similar to the Godzilla games developed by Pipeworks in the early 2000's, and just dropped DLC featuring Godzilla and three other Toho kaiju! Shame it doesn't have a physical release.

Dawn of the Monsters is a scrolling beat 'em up, inspired in part by SNK's King of the Monsters, with a cool Mike Mignola-esque art style. Glad I got a physical copy from Limited Run games.

Finally, Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher on the Switch is just Monster Rancher...but with kaiju from the Ultraman franchise! You get to raise and battle your own kaiju!! I imported the Asia exclusive physical copy since it was only slightly more expensive than downloading, and it came with trading cards for summoning specific kaiju too!

[hrodvitnon]

Hullo hullo, back again with more random “how would x kaiju fit into the Abraxasverse” shit. Today it’ll be the last four trading battle kaiju because they’re cool and dammit toho use em in something.

Razin: since the world at large became aware of the Titans in May of 2014, many have raised concerns about whether they could be a threat to humanity, even more so after the mass awakening of 2019 and the Many Crisis of 2019-2020. But still many believed titans could help. However, not everyone thought of “help” in the same way. Enter GenPlanners, a genetics company dedicated to “helping humans stay on top of the food chain”. To do this, they proposed using Titan biology to solve many problems humanity had long faced, such as airborne pollutants and more pressingly, world hunger. Despite experiments with Titan DNA being heavily regulated to the point of being effectively outlawed, that didn’t stop GenPlanners. Using genetic samples taken from several megafauna and Titans, it engineered a creature intended to solve world hunger by effectively being an ever regenerating food source. As with most things however, this did not go as planned. After several months of testing, their subject known as GP-547 broke loose and escaped into the wild. A coverup was quickly done, but it would only shield them for so long. Several months later, a massive bug creature resembling aspects of titans such as Biollante, Ramarak, and Legion made landfall, consuming as much as it could. It was driven off by Godzilla and the newly reawakened Anguirus, but not before causing major damage to the Philippines. Analysis of the dna left by behind from the creature showed it to have similarities with GenPlanners other products and soon led to an investigation shuttering the whole enterprise. The new beast, named Razin by Monarch, has been spotted many times since, attempting to consume genetic material to increase its size and output. Driven only by hunger and an intense pain, the nearly mindless kaiju communicates only through a rapid chirping and has particularly become an enemy of Battra since his return to his sisters side.

Barugaron: as with many facets of life, Titans too tend to have similar dynamics across multiple species. Even still, no one ever thought this would apply to Titans who fell from the stars. Having encountered Xenilla many moons ago, a vampiric parasite came to earth soon after the defeat of Gigan’s fleet. Formerly an amorphous serpent like creature, this monster had taken DNA from Xenilla and used it to stabilize its body into a more humanoid form. Now seeking more genetic material, it attacked Godzilla in an attempt to consume his radioactive blood, intending to grow its strength. While it was driven off, there are whispers that it lurks in the shadows within the hollow earth. Polite yet savage, as well as presenting a seemingly debonair deameanor, Monster X has compared him to an “alien Dracula in Orlok’s body”.

Vagnosaurus: many ancient titans served functions in the old world, such as Shimo’s efforts to ensure the planet’s ecosystem remained stable with ice ages and Behemoth’s care of plant life. Among these jobs which needed to be done was taking care of poisonous gases and liquids which often crept to the Earth’s surface. Enter Vagnosaurus, or Vagno for short, a Titan who specialized in neutralizing and absorbing toxic gases. Never the most pleasant of sorts, she did end up becoming friends with the likes of Scylla and Tiamat, who had similarly peppery temperaments. Eventually as surface radiation subsided and the last great Titan war commenced, Vagno retreated into the depths of the ocean, sustaining herself on toxic gases and radiation from underwater vents in the ocean’s depths. Sometime following the defeat of the Many and Keizer Ghidorah, Vagnosaurus would awaken from a long hibernation and make her way to Earth’s surface once again. In an attempt to get a “midnight snack” as described by one monarch biologist, she attacked Lahore, consuming many of the pollutants in the area. Her destructive feast was eventually stopped by Monster X and Rodan, who drove her into the path of Godzilla for a “chat”. She has since acquiesced to the demands of her King and Queen, but not without heavy conflict and sour moods. Her territory is well guarded, with the poisonous mist she projects and her penchant for assimilating smaller lifeforms into her for sustenance making her a Titan few ever dare encounter, aside from her two old friends of course.

Shiigan: sometime after Monarch and the Titans became aware of Gigan and his fleet, they would discover something they had long thought unthinkable. Frozen in Siberia was the mummified corpse of creature resembling the mad master of the reaper fleet. How it arrived on Earth remains as of now unexplained, but the reason for its mummified state soon became apparent after a nearby underwater iceberg was broken open, releasing a mad protector with biometric abilities. The Titan initially appeared friendly, albeit territorial, but upon making its way into waters which had been contaminated by heavy metals from APEX and other companies misdeeds, it went into a violent rage. With the help of Na Kika, Monster X, and Tiamat, Godzilla was able to subdue the creature during its mad rampage and delivered it to Monarch, who kept it sedated and locked within Outpost 98 off the coast of Mombosa. Ancient writings recovered near Mu gave its name as Shiigan, mad god of the seas, and testing of its genetic material shared heavy similarities to zooplankton and dna recovered from the Gigan-esque corpse in Siberia. Dr Rick Stanton proposed that the Titan was once a colony of zooplankton who mutated into their current form after consuming the flesh of the space monster, mummifying it in the process. Unpredictable, ruthless, and utterly deranged, it was eventually able to escape containment during an attack on Mombasa by Oodako. Reports have placed it viciously attacking Hedorah examples seen in various oceans.

Well there’s some more obscure Godzilla kaiju to look over. Went a lil out there with these, hope it wasn’t too much 😅

Oh, cool! Obscure kaiju are a treat.

[kcyars19992]

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10 CRIMINALLY UNDERRATED RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE SONGS

photograph by Lindsay Brice/Getty Images

Follow Rage Against the Machi… 

on Bandsintown 

text ELI ENIS

July 11, 2022 

Rage Against the Machine don't have a bad song to speak of. Throughout their four-album catalog — including 2000 covers record, Renegades — the band's winning formula of righteous, riff-slingin' rap-metal and bird-flippin' attitude aimed toward the powers that be hasn't yielded a single cut that truly feels underwhelming. Still, there're definitely several that don't get their deserved amount of time in the spotlight.

Beyond "Bulls on Parade" and "Killing in the Name," these are 10 incredible, catchy, hard-hitting, lyrically nourishing Rage anthemsthat feel criminally underrated within the general discourse about this iconic band.

"Fistful of Steel"

Rage Against the Machine's 1992 debut is their most universally beloved release, so there aren't too many songs on this front-to-back masterpiece that truly don't get their shine. "Fistful of Steel," however, is one that gets sometimes lost in the outstanding shuffle. It doesn't have a signature one-liner or an animalistic breakdown — just a great riff with plenty of meat on its bones and a groove that swings like a pickaxe hitting cold, hard dirt. 

"Township Rebellilon"

"Township Rebellion" is another overlooked deep cut from their self-titled album that's every bit as heavy and incisive as the celebrated bangers that precede it. Its instructive refrain — "Why stand on a silent platform?/Fight the war, fuck the norm" — is a salient retort to anyone who questions the band's productive feistiness. And that screamed climax is chilling. 

"Down Rodeo"

Rage's second album, 1996's Evil Empire, boasts one of their most iconic anthems, "Bulls on Parade," but overall, the record is less immediate and more cerebral than their debut, with instrumentation that's built to serve de la Rocha's increasingly dense rapping, and therefore features less of Morello's hard-rock riffing. It can get glossed over for that reason, which is unfair to a funky all-timer like "Down Rodeo," featuring what's perhaps de la Rocha's deepest-cutting lyric — "These people ain't seen a brown-skin man since their grandparents bought one." 

"Wind Below"

"Wind Below" is an even more criminally overlooked piece of gold from Evil Empire. Morello's ringing lick sounds like John Carpenter murder scene music, while Tim Commerford's bassline sounds aqueous, bubbly and melt-in-your-speakers sexy. Of course, de la Rocha is up there rapping presciently about trade deals that fucked over workers and calling out corporations like "ABC's new thrill rides of trials and lies." 

"No Shelter"

Beyond being a kickass song that sits nicely between the elastic funk of Evil Empire and the hair-whipping rock of the Ballad of Los Angeles, "No Shelter" might be the greatest protest maneuver the band have ever pulled off. It was written for the soundtrack of the 1998 Godzilla film, but rather than submitting a vapid banger to soundtrack reptilian carnage, the track is a vicious takedown of corporate cinema, decrying "the thin line between entertainment and war" and even going so far as to call out the film cutting the check — "Godzilla, pure mothafuckin' filler/To keep ya eyes off the real killer." Righteous.

"Born of a Broken Man" 

On 1999's the Battle of Los Angeles, Rage's third and final album of original material, they leaned into many of the more accessible hard-rock elements of their debut, penning stadium-ready rippers like "Guerilla Radio" and "Sleep Now in the Fire" that understandably became fan favorites. "Born of a Broken Man" should be, too. The way de la Rocha's whispery verses explode into full-throated yells when the main riff detonates is utterly thrilling, and the dynamics of this song overall are some of their most subtle and musically rewarding. 

"New Millenium Homes" 

With a front half as energetic and anthemic as the Battle of Los Angeles', it's no wonder that the album's more subdued side B gets overlooked in the grand scheme of their catalog. That's too bad, because a track like "New Millennium Homes" has the funky-ass riff, catchy-ass delivery, and incendiary lyrics — "Violence in all hands/Embrace it if need be" — to compete with the likes of "Testify" and "Know Your Enemy." 

"Ashes in the Fall"

The next song on Battle might be even better. The freaky delay on Morello's squeaky lick gives it a psychedelic, alien-like effect, and the drumming has a jazzy freeness to it that isn't common in Rage songs of this era. Morello goes full Hendrix as the song builds with a jittery unpredictability, and de la Rocha offers up hip-hop meta-ness with his repetition of, "This is the new sound/Just like the old sound." It's a bit experimental, and it pays off. 

"Street Fighting Man"

While Rage Against the Machine and the Rolling Stones certainly emanate similar levels of swagger and have a shared love of the blues, the former were always more interested in providing a soundtrack for property destruction than the sex-and-drug-filled parties of the latter. Therefore, it was the Stones' protest jam, "Street Fighting Man," that Rage gravitated to for Renegades. Of all the heavy transformations on the covers LP, the band are content to just boogie here, resulting in one of their most purely fun rippers.

"Darkness"

Before Rage Against the Machine reworked and re-recorded it for the soundtrack to Nineties goth touchstone The Crow, "Darkness" was known as "Darkness of Greed" and appeared on the L.A. political firebrands' 1991 demo tape. But even before that, it was played live in a rawer, more uptempo form by de la Rocha's O.C. hardcore-punk band Inside Out. While still characteristically scathing and seething, Rage's version features a uniquely mellow and jazzy verse instrumentation, making for a true standout.

Rage Against the Machine

Sent from my iPhone

[godzilla-and-aang-monsters]

Razin

Altura: 283.83 metros (Tomando en cuenta los cuernos)

Peso: 202,500 toneladas

Primer Avistamiento: Templo de los Nilai Kanai [Teratoverso]

Guarida: Fosa de las Marianas [Tierra: Teratoverso] Costa de los Belisarios [Avatarverso]

Controles: Tierra Control [Excavación y Geoquinesis] Fuego Control [Electricidad y rayo de calor] Agua Control [Acido corrosivo] Aire Control [Vuelo, Gas congelante toxico] Energia Control [Pulso Geoluminoso]

Aspecto: Razin (Godzila Trading Battle)

Aliados:

Humanos: Ozai y Azula

Kaijus y otras bestias: Gigan y Megalon

Enemigos:

Humanos: Aang, Katara, Soka, Iroh, Zuko

Kaijus y otras bestias: Anguirus, Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, Anguirus

[monsters-conquer-the-world]

Godzilla Trading Battle's original kaiju are all pretty rad:

BALKZARDAN

BARUGARON

JYARUMU

RAZIN

SEAGAN

VAGNOSAURUS

Seagan's got the whole "Gigan before he was cyborgized" aesthetic, which rules. I think Jyarumu and Razin are my tippy-top faves though. It's the ultimate longshot, but I'd love to see these lil fuckers pop up in a new game or something.

[gojira-ekkusu]

Barugaron - Vampiric Monster

Original monster created for Godzilla: Trading Battle

[averagemee-fr]

"2 fakes, what could this mean?"

Guess I'm bit of a fake fan. Jokes aside, these two are my favorites in their respective series, wonder why? Originally I recreated art with Godzilla and Sonic from WaniRamirez that I adore, and someone on Twitter asked before when's one with Metal Sonic and MechaGodzilla, and I felt like making one, so here it is. Also there should be more art with these two because without one we wouldn't have the other, plus they're cool.

(@chopperfancard sorry this took long to make lol.)

Credits:

MechaGodzilla (Trading Battle) - ilikepaperclips/Plasmili0

Metal Sonic - SAB64

Background wall - MMDCharizard and JJJ

[twatkcox]

[The Keihancarl Diaries: May 4-5, 2024]

Hi everyone, Keihancarl here. This is the fifth Pinoy Otaku Festival event that I attended, with the first one back in May 2017 (Danketsu), and the third POF event held at Robinson's Novaliches Trade Hall after Asobu (2019) and Shizen (2023).

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This year’s POF theme is Yume (which means dream in Japanese), and the focus of this event is mental health awareness. There are panel discussions about cosplay (as per the schedule), and one of them focuses on its benefits (along with anime and fanfiction) to one’s well-being.

Unlike the previous POF events, I somehow skipped the first day of the three-day event as that falls on a weekday (which is, obviously, Friday) and there won’t be that much crowd there. As usual, the Otaku Choice Awards is held on the first day of the event.

May 4th

And that was the beginning of the amazingly awesome weekend.

I decided to go mostly black on this one, featuring the khaki Naruto shirt from Uniqlo. As I didn’t want to stand out like in the previous POF events I attended, I chose to wear something less fancy, with some of my favorite accessories. Of course, my black fingerless gloves will always be part of my outfit, no matter how special the day is.

I really wanted to go there as early as possible so I did just that. I immediately head to the venue instead of taking a long walk from the adjacent malls first. Reaching the venue, I immediately bought a ticket and headed inside.

The Cosplay Idol Finals were ongoing as soon as I made it inside the venue. I began checking some stalls offering various merchandise, including anime shirts, action figures, collectible cards, stickers, anime and cosplayer prints, and accessories. There's also a booth selling English-language manga and a few other books. I get to see a demonstration of 3D printing at one of the booths, and a retro gaming booth where you can try playing some of the old video games (there's also a Tetris competition). The event’s advocacy partner Angat Buhay had a booth inside as well. And of course, a Godzilla display (like in the previous POF events).

I passed by an interesting stall (40 People In The World) selling cold brew coffee, but the computer keyboard-style packaging intrigued me. I tried a sample of one of their coffee blends. I bought a three-piece box. Kind of pricey, but I think it’s reasonable.

I get to witness some performances (including some of the idol performers for the Aidoru Hour), plus the karaoke battle where one of the contestants perform a Miki Matsubara song (Stay With Me), a Lolita fashion show (plus a discussion), and a SmackDown show (kind of a scripted wrestling type kind of show).

I decided to step out of the event area to have a chicken, Cajun fries, and mashed potato meal at Popeyes (SM Fairview). The mashed potato is finally back on the menu, or I just didn’t notice it earlier.

Going back to the event, I have a few selfie pics with some of the cosplayers. I stayed there for a few more hours until the awarding ceremony. An anime rave party followed soon afterward. I decided to upload the first batch of photos from the second day of the event before moving back to SM Fairview and checking some of the shops there.

Before heading home, I decided to have a cup of caramel ice blend coffee (no whipped cream, unfortunately) at the Coffee Bean And Tea Leaf and work on this TKD post. I stayed there for about 30 minutes.

May 5th

I was really determined to go back for the third and final day of the event. I decided on a wine-red stand-up collar shirt and a black Evangelion shirt.

I arrived around the same time as yesterday and bought a few more items, including pins, stickers, and a small anime figure of Kei Tsukishima (Haikyuu), plus a couple of manga books.

There was a karaoke competition (AniOke Idol), a series of performances by different idol groups and singers (Aidoru Hour Extravaganza), and a cosplay competition (Cosplay Competition League). I also managed to take more selfies with some of the cosplayers. I had an opportunity to take a selfie with AllYellow Joshua, who is one of the event's hosts (the pic is on the last part of the post). And I decided to have my photo taken at the photo booth.

Around 4:30 PM, I decided to leave the venue for a while and had some katsudon and brown sugar milk tea at Tamoya Udon (still in SM Fairview). I previously had an udon dish there two weeks after my birthday.

Heading back, the venue becomes a concert hall with performances by idol groups and singers. One of the special guests Misuru (all the way from Japan) also graced the stage during the Aidoru Hour Extravaganza as well, and she was also at the anime rave party last night.

The Cosplay Championship League (the finals, I think) began around 7:15 PM. Meanwhile, I decided to head to the restroom outside the event and did a little grocery shopping along the way. I headed back to the venue 30 minutes later and stayed until the end of the event. The Lolita Fashion Competition later commenced around past 8:00. The awarding ceremony for both competitions followed after that.

POF 2024: Yume concluded right after the closing message and that ends yet another awesome weekend. The question remains whether the next POF event will be held at the same venue.

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Despite missing the first day of the event and all of the panel discussions, I really enjoyed much of this year's POF event, especially the stage performances. I ended up spending a lot of money on some of the merch, including the manga books. It sure was an awesome weekend.

All right, I'm definitely looking forward to the next POF event next year. But of course, there's also a possibility of attending another otaku event this year. For now, it's back to normal for yours truly, Keihancarl. The upcoming mall-hopping trip will have to wait, though, as Mother's Day is coming up and I really planned on spending it with my mom (I never get to celebrate her birthday, which is a few days prior).

And that's all for the second week of the #TheFourWeekendPlan. Until next time!

P.S.: Choji TV did a Ninong Ry cosplay, too bad I never get to take a selfie pic with him.

All pics are from my Instagram account, @kcox_105.

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

Kaiju Week in Review (January 28-February 3, 2024)

Minecraft: Bedrock Edition's Godzilla DLC is now available. I joined Wikizilla's stream of it yesterday as a spectator and found it quite entertaining (especially when @squid-in-a-party-hat switched to Creative Mode and started summoning mini-kaiju). I'll post the highlight reel from that stream when it's finished. The main hub of this DLC is a combination movie theater/gallery; each of the four screens lets you access a different minigame. The first is based on the original film and has you rescuing civilians and just trying to survive as Godzilla trashes Tokyo. The second transforms you into Godzilla and pits you and your allies against various kaiju from the first three series. The third tasks you with defending Tokyo against Shin Godzilla, with each defensive phase featuring a different form. The fourth just has you taking photos of the battles in Godzilla vs. Kong (with the Tasmian Sea fight replaced by Godzilla barging into Kong's dome). I found the second and third to be the most interesting, but it's dismaying that only the third really takes advantage of these games being in Minecraft. You scrounge items, build barricades, lay down TNT, trade with NPCs, summon agents, fire blood coagulation potion into Godzilla's mouth from a crossbow... it's a lot more involved than the others.

In further Godzilla video game news, the Heisei MOGUERA and a crystal-hurling SpaceGodzilla variation have joined Godzilla Battle Line, the upcoming Godzilla x Kong: Titan Chasers mobile game is teasing its original monsters, and Dave the Diver of all things announced a free PlayStation-exclusive Godzilla DLC for May.

Here's a rare sequel to an IDW Godzilla miniseries. Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons II - Sons of Giants will boast the same writer (Frank Tieri) and artist (Inaki Miranda) as its predecessor. The logline:

The sequel to last summer’s smash miniseries! Frank Tieri and Inaki Miranda reunite to explore the conspiracy that led to Sir Francis Drake hiding his treasure on Monster Island! Who are the Sons of Giants, and what is their mission? More importantly, what is their connection to Godzilla and the other monsters? This series shows us how it all came to be, how Godzilla was discovered by the leaders of the world, and how it changed history forever!

Despite the Roman numerals, sounds like a prequel. I still think there's something off about any Godzilla story set before the Atomic Age, but the Sons of Giants were the most interesting part of the original Here There Be Dragons, and historical figures encountering the King of the Monsters is always amusing.

Naturally, Funko is making a line of Pops for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. The standout is the Amazon-exclusive figure of a sleeping Godzilla; I also love how Shimo looks like she's yakking. Monogram also revealed the lineup for its sixth wave of Toho Godzilla bag clips, as well as a GxK set. Highlights of the former are a curled-up Final Wars Anguirus, a Simeon, and Zilla; the latter is notable for including a previously-unrevealed monster called a Parrot Frog.

Tokyo's Hibiya neighborhood has long played host to Godzilla statues: first the Kawakita Godzilla, then Shin. Now they're getting a new three-meter statue of the original '54 Godzilla. It emits smoke at night, the mouth glows, and there seems to be some kind of AR app through which he fires atomic breath at you. Despite it being a 70th anniversary installation, however, it'll only be in Hibiya until March 10. I'm guessing that won't be the last we see of it.